Nostalgia is a major force in pop culture, and when it comes to movies and music these days, the 1980s loom large. The movies of directors like Steven Spielberg and John Hughes have received a lot of attention (JJ Abrams's use of lens flare as homage to Spielberg has practically worn out the Internet with commentary.), […]

Summer camp. Whether you loved it, hated it or skipped it, you can experience it vicariously—minus the bad food, insects and latrines—with these three fun movies. My favorite is the exuberant Camp, set at a musical theater camp where self-described “freaks” can be themselves and where sports counselors are without an audience. Campers include a […]

All the talk around this year's MLB All-Star Game has brought up a lot of personal baseball memories for me, like how I was so excited to meet Andre Dawson as a kid or how I spent 10 years of my childhood swinging a bat. I've always loved the sport and all the classic baseball movies I've seen […]

Few individuals can claim as interesting, varied, and storied a life as Christopher Lee. Boasting a career that has run the gamut from office clerk to airman to spy, Lee found his calling on the silver screen. Known to modern audiences for his portrayal of Saruman the White in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings […]

With the new movie Jurassic World opening on screens this weekend, we're naturally thinking about the first movie in that series, Jurassic Park, the #1 movie at the American box office in 1993. Steven Spielberg's game-changing special effects, combined with a crackling adventure plot (the film was based on a bestselling novel by Michael Crichton), was a […]

It’s that time of year when studios release high-budget films with wide appeal in hopes of having the next summer blockbuster. And this year, two iconic summer films—both thrillers—are celebrating anniversaries: Jaws and Psycho. Jaws, arguably the first summer blockbuster in history, celebrates its 40th anniversary in June. Beachgoers of 1975 were probably less interested in taking […]

Since Orson Welles' death in 1985, the impression he left on American cinematic aesthetic has become a canyon. We have an opportunity to look back on his life as we come to the centenary of his birth on May 6. Roger Ebert summarized Welles' life using one of Welles' own quotes, spoken to a sparse crowd in a […]

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by watching these Asian cinema classics. Start with Infernal Affairs. It's the original version of the crime drama The Departed, which earned Martin Scorsese the Academy Award for Best Director. You can decide which version you like better, but I have to say that Tony Leung using Morse […]

We lost Roger Ebert in 2013, but the movie critic's film festival carries on the legacy of this legendary Chicagoan by exposing audiences to some of his favorite films. Ebertfest takes place in Champaign from April 15-18, but if you can't make it to the festival, you can still celebrate by watching a few past selections. Richard Linklater […]

When I think of Irish actresses, the first and foremost one that comes to mind is the incomparable Maureen O'Hara. Her red hair, fiery temper and Irish lilt to her voice captivated audiences in such films as The Quiet Man, McLintock, Miracle on 34th Street, and later in life Only the Lonely. I will always […]